by Lynn, JB
Either way, a cloak of nervousness settled over me and I had the impression that things were going to get worse before they got better.
Chapter Eleven
They were still “investigating” the fire when we got back. Taking pictures, taking notes, talking among themselves.
“What happened?” Loretta gasped, surveying the devastation.
I personally thought the scene was pretty self-explanatory, so I didn’t bother to respond, but Griswald was kind enough to answer her. Then, saying he needed to talk to Templeton alone, he banished Loretta and I to wait inside the house.
Loretta linked her arm through her beloved’s in a show of solidarity. “Whatever you have to say to him, you can say to us.”
I couldn’t blame her. Considering that whatever it was they were going to discuss, was of concern to the family, I made no move to follow Griswald’s order either.
Templeton gently disentangled himself, before saying softly, but firmly, “Wait inside, darling.”
Pouting, Loretta hustled off toward the kitchen door.
Griswald gave me a pointed look. I considered arguing with him, but decided it wasn’t the time. Not when the scent of smoke still hung in the air.
“Put me down,” God, who was balancing on my palm, ordered imperiously. “I’ll be able to listen in and then report back.”
Usually the little guy drives me nuts, but for once I agreed with him.
Making a show of opening the back door of my car so that I could ostensibly gather some of the papers I’d dumped there so that Griswald would have a place to sit, I carefully placed the lizard on the ground.
“Be careful,” I whispered.
“Is that genuine concern?” he mocked before scampering off.
With an armful of paperwork clutched to my chest, I hurried inside the B&B. Susan and Loretta were discussing the fire when I walked in.
“I made up a plate for you,” Susan said.
“Wonderful,” Loretta gushed. “I’m starving.”
“It’s for Maggie,” Susan corrected, taking the pile of papers from me. “You,” she gave her sister a stern look, “are coming with me to my room so that we can talk in private.”
Loretta gulped audibly.
I didn’t blame her. When Susan gave that look, it meant the receiver was in for a tongue-thrashing.
Once they left the kitchen, I opened the basement door.
DeeDee bounded out first. “Hungry.”
“You ate,” I reminded her.
She hung her head.
Piss slunk through the doorway.
“I need a favor,” I said to her.
She fixed her good eye on me. “What’s that?”
“God’s out there.” I jerked my thumb in the direction of the front of the house. “Can you make sure he stays safe?”
The cat flicked her tail, considering the request. She wasn’t one for taking orders.
“Do can I it,” DeeDee offered good-naturedly.
I smiled at the dog. “I know you could, but this assignment requires a degree of finesse.”
Having appealed to the cat’s innate sense of superiority, she drawled a casual offer, “I’ll make sure the professional complainer doesn’t get himself into trouble.”
“Thank you.” Opening the kitchen door, I let her outside before rummaging in the refrigerator for the plate Susan had left me.
Pulling off the plastic wrap, I plucked a baby carrot off the plate and popped it into my mouth.
DeeDee watched me forlornly.
Grabbing a fork from the silverware drawer I scooped up a mouthful of food for myself before tossing her one of the carrots.
She attacked the morsel of food like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. Which was probably what I did too, considering I was eating cold mashed potatoes. Thankfully they weren’t covered in congealed gravy.
I was standing in the kitchen, devouring a forkful of chilled potato when Angel, wearing yet another Navy t-shirt, strolled in. I gulped the mouthful down, the sickening feeling that I’d just betrayed heterosexual women everywhere by getting caught eating at the counter by a hot guy.
I shot DeeDee a dirty look, silently berating her for not warning me about his arrival.
“Chicken?” the dog panted hopefully.
Angel raised his eyebrows at the picture I presented, but all he said was, “Your aunts are having quite the discussion.”
Considering that I was on a different floor at the opposite end of the house and I could still hear their raised voices, I guessed that he was being diplomatic.
“You can quit.” I pushed my plate away, even though what I really wanted to do was lick it clean.
“What?” His tone was so sharp it hurt my ears.
“You can quit,” I reiterated. “No one would blame you. No one in their right mind would sign up for this circus.”
He stepped closer, forcing me to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. A strong emotion flickered in his gaze, but I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.
“Trying to get rid of me, Maggie?” he taunted softly.
I shook my head, trying to ignore the unsettling things his proximity did to my belly.
He tilted his head. “No?”
“You couldn’t have expected this, fighting fires. I never thanked you for that by the way.”
He grinned easily. “You’re welcome.”
“How’d you know to use the soil?”
He pointed to the Navy emblem on his t-shirt. “Fire on a ship is very dangerous.”
“Bet you didn’t know you’d be fighting fires here.” I paused, interrupted by something heavy crashing to the floor overhead. “Or listening to that. Like I said, you can quit anytime.”
“I don’t run at the first sign of trouble,” he replied calmly. “You can count on me.”
I considered him for a moment, taking comfort in his steady demeanor. I couldn’t help but compare the buff, dark-haired man in front of me with my favorite redhead. Both were good in a crisis, but Patrick was known to bolt at inopportune moments, which meant he didn’t get the highest marks in the dependability department.
One of my aunts, probably Loretta, chose that moment to wail like a banshee.
“Save yourself,” I joked weakly.
He examined me with an intensity that made me feel like I’d been stripped naked. An embarrassed heat warmed my cheeks. I fidgeted uncomfortably.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised gravely.
“But…” I protested feebly.
“You need me.”
My stomach tightened and my left eye twitched. I didn’t believe in needing people, certainly not some guy I barely knew, who was only standing in front of me because of an invitation from my aunt.
“Amazing how I’ve managed to survive this long without you.”
Instead of being insulted by the dismissal, he grinned. “He’s right.”
“Who’s right?”
“My uncle. He said you were one ballsy chick.”
I didn’t doubt him. Tony/Anthony Delveccio had said the same thing to my face on more than one occasion. “Good to know you talk about me behind my back,” I countered testily.
“Don’t worry, little spitfire, we only say the best things about you.” With that he kissed my cheek and walked out of the room chuckling.
I didn’t know what shocked me more, the kiss, or the fact he’d called me “little”.
“Okay?” DeeDee asked, eyeing me curiously.
I nodded. “Let’s finish this in the basement.”
I grabbed my plate and she followed me downstairs where, sitting on the sofa, we quickly polished off the food and, despite all the dramatic energy surrounding the house, I accidentally fell asleep.
Chapter Twelve
“Gotta! Gotta!” DeeDee puffed in my face.
Shoving her away, I grudgingly opened my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Time gotta,” she supplied helpfully.
“She
’s a dog,” God reminded me in his most superior tone.
I blinked, surprised to see the lizard sprawled out on the arm of the couch. “How did you get back inside?”
“Angel heard me crying at the kitchen door and let me in,” Piss piped up from where she was curled at the opposite end of the sofa.
“Us. He let us in,” God bickered.
The cat flexed a claw. “He didn’t even see you.”
“You forgot us,” the lizard eyed me reproachfully.
“I must have fallen asleep.”
“Obviously,” God drawled.
“Gotta! Gotta!” DeeDee insisted.
Stumbling to the stairs, I let her out the storm door into the backyard. Then I turned back to the other two animals. “So what happened with Templeton?”
“They want him to go into protective custody,” God said.
“But he doesn’t want to leave Loretta,” Piss added.
God glared at the cat. “So Griswald is renting a room so he can keep an eye on things.”
“Why doesn’t he just stay with Susan?” I asked.
“Decorum!” the lizard and cat declared simultaneously.
I shook my head. “There’s no such thing as decorum in this place. It’s survival of the fittest.”
“Speaking of survival, I’m hungry,” Piss declared.
After feeding my pets, I went in search of my own sustenance. I found it in the form of the coffeemaker in the kitchen. Someone had just brewed a fresh pot. I gratefully poured myself a cup of the elixir of life and then stuck my head in the fridge as I continued my foraging.
“Big day.”
I backed out of the refrigerator and smiled at my Aunt Leslie. “Good morning.”
“I got donuts to celebrate the big day.” She held up a white bakery box tied with string.
I grinned. “There’s coffee.”
“I know. I made it.”
“Then I thank you.” I toasted her with my coffee cup.
“I’ve gotten a lot of practice at meetings,” Leslie joked quietly, referring to her Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
“Practice makes perfect,” I teased gently and was rewarded with a shy smile.
I watched Loretta’s twin as she cut open the box and carefully piled the sweet treats on a platter.
Leslie was different since getting clean. She’d been a dependable visitor to Katie and had been more considerate to everyone else. She was trying.
For the first time, it occurred to me that she’d accomplished an awful lot in the past few months. She’d kicked her drug habit and become a contributing member of the family. And I hadn’t really noticed. I wondered if anyone had.
I put my coffee down. “Aunt Leslie?”
She glanced at me.
Tears filled my eyes and my throat tightened, making it difficult to speak. “I know…I know…”
Concerned something was wrong, she turned toward me and opened her arms, offering a hug.
Flying into her arms, I squeezed her tightly, saying in a rush, “I know I haven’t said it, but I am so proud of you.”
“For what?” she asked, rubbing my back in soothing circles.
“For getting clean. For staying clean.” The last word came out as a hiccupping sob.
Drawing back so that she could see my face, she confessed tearfully, “I’m sorry it took me so long.”
I shook my head. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”
At that moment Angel strolled into the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks the moment he realized that two crying women already occupied the space. Without a word, he pivoted on his heel, and walked right back out.
Leslie and I stared at the space where he’d disappeared and collapsed against each other, overcome by giggles.
Once we’d composed ourselves, we brought the donuts into the dining room. Angel was sitting in there, studying his cell phone.
He glanced up at us to determine if he needed to leave.
“Morning,” I said cheerfully.
“Morning,” he parroted carefully.
“There’s a lot of estrogen in this place,” Leslie informed him. “If you can’t handle a few tears, you’re not going to cut it here.”
“I was just trying not to intrude on a private moment,” he countered calmly, as he searched my face.
Self-conscious, I turned away, grabbing a pile of plates out of the cabinet. They clattered against the table when I put them down, revealing that I was still shaken up.
“Coffee?” Leslie offered Angel.
He nodded.
“Donut?” I held out the tray of treats for him.
He surveyed it thoughtfully.
“Anything except the pecan roll,” Leslie corrected. “That’s Maggie’s favorite.”
I looked at her sharply; surprised she knew that particular detail about me.
“How long have I been your aunt?” she mocked as she handed Angel his coffee. “I do know some things about you, Margaret May.”
“I’ll share the pecan roll with you,” I suggested to Angel.
Leslie reached across the table and slapped my hand.
“Hey!” Putting the tray down, I moved out of her reach. “What did you do that for?”
“I bought that for you.” Her eyes sparkled and color bloomed on her cheeks.
I took a step back, realizing she was really angry. “I was just--”
“No sharing. You’re always sacrificing for this family. You’re entitled to an entire pastry.” She glared, challenging me to defy her.
“By all means,” Angel interjected. “For all you know, I could be allergic to nuts.”
“Well then, you’re in the wrong house,” I snapped.
Leslie and Angel stared at me for a long moment as though they couldn’t believe I’d said such a thing. Then they both began to chuckle.
“Everyone’s a little on edge because it’s the big day,” Leslie excused with a wave of her hand. “Try the Boston Crème,” she urged Angel. “They’re divine.”
“I’m more of a jelly donut guy.”
“Powdered sugar okay?”
He nodded.
She placed a fluffy white donut on a plate and handed it to him. “Sit, Maggie. Your coffee’s getting cold.”
Obediently I slipped into the nearest seat, avoiding eye contact with Angel, who was studying me with a bemused smile.
Leslie beamed. “Isn’t this lovely?”
I nodded weakly. What else could I do?
Angel winked at my slyly, letting me know that the situation was just as strange as I perceived it to be.
Then it got weirder.
“Hey chica,” a voice called from the kitchen. “Rise and shine.”
Leslie clapped her hands with delight. “She made it.”
“You invited her?” I asked incredulously.
“It’s the big day,” my aunt responded.
“Who else did you invite?”
“Well, Zeke said he couldn’t make it.”
“You talked to Zeke?” I practically squealed. Then another thought made me hit a whole new high pitch. “Tell me you didn’t invite mom.”
“Your mother is Katie’s grandmother.”
Moaning, I dropped my head into my hands. I was overwhelmed already, once my mother was added to the mix, I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions.
“But no, she wasn’t invited,” Leslie added calmly before calling out, “We’re in here.”
Sucking in a great gulp of relief, I raised my head just as Armani limped into the room, took one look at Angel and blurted out, “If you’d told me you were serving up stud muffins, I would have gotten here earlier.”
I couldn’t stifle another moan.
Angel’s eyes grew wide, as she lurched toward him. He squirmed uncomfortably in the face of her undisguised lust. She practically licked her lips as she advanced.
I had the urge to throw myself between them in order to protect him. Instead, I said through gritted teeth, “Armani, An
gel. Angel, Armani.”